A lot of the money we earn often goes on food. Eating is important. It helps our kids to grow, it nourishes our minds and it impacts our moods. However, prices are on the increase and as other costs rise, you might be looking at slashing the price that you pay for your food. How can you save money whilst still eating decent food? Let's have a look at batch cooking on a budget to save some cash.
Where Are You Shopping?
Firstly, you need to look at where you are shopping. There are expensive shops and there are budget shops. Moving your shopping to budget shops, even though they themselves have had to implement price hikes, will save you some money. It's a great idea to look for a budget shop nearby that you can walk to, in order to cut down on fuel expenses too. You'll also only buy what you need because you have to carry it home. Use a basket when you are at the store too. You might find cheaper ingredients at your local market too. Find the best place with the best prices so you can purchase the things you need.
Make A List & Meal Plan
A great idea is to make a list. Figure out what you actually need to buy and then stick to that list. If you make a meal plan for the week, you will be able to buy exactly what you need. Include breakfast and lunches as well. With your meal plan, you will be able to see where you can buy in bulk. Getting ingredients that can be used in multiple meals will save you some money. A chicken can be roasted on Sunday and then used for pies, soups and lots more. A large pack of mince can be cooked and then split into different foil containers for lasagne, bolognese and cottage pie. This is great batch cooking on a budget. Another top tip is to make sure you don't go shopping if you are hungry as you will be tempted by the smells of the bakery and the products on the shelf that aren't on your list.
Utilise Your Freezer
Batch cooking is fantastic as you make multiple portions for future meals. This is great when you can plan for a few days and keep the meals in your fridge. However, if you make room in your freezer, you can plan even further ahead and not eat the same meals day after day. Using foil tins you can make decent-sized portions and freeze your food, like your own ready meals. Be sure that you label them so you know what is in what container. Pop them in the oven when you get home and you'll have a piping hot delicious meal within the hour, without any effort!
Make It Part Of Your Routine
Batch cooking on a budget can become part of your routine, saving you both time and money. Imagine coming home from work on a Wednesday evening and not having to spend time cooking. Using one evening a week to batch cook some meals and put them aside for the week ahead is fantastic. You'll notice the time saved when you get in from work as well as the money saved as you buy similar ingredients at cheaper prices from your supermarket.
You need to be organised when you start batch cooking on a budget. Know what you are planning on eating when and then use your freezer to put away extra meals so you make more at once. If you love eating lasagne a couple of times a week, why make it from scratch a couple of times a week? Make it once and make multiple portions so you can enjoy it without the hassle of cooking from scratch next time. Find those recipes you are great at making and you will see that batch cooking on a budget will save you money.
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